Herbs are much more than just "weak drugs".

Their activity is not reducible to a single "active constituent".

Frequently, though, that is the unchallenged assumption about how they work. That conceptual model breaks down in a number of ways when you try and apply it to herbs, and it's important for herbalists to understand those. Fortunately, it's not too difficult, either!

Understanding a few basic ideas around things like synergy and variability within herbs and formulas, compatibility between different types of constituents and extraction media, and how to train your senses to become more phytochemically discerning, will allow you to formulate much more successfully and to better apply herbs to specific situations.

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Course curriculum

    1. Welcome to Phytochemistry!

    2. Live Q&A sessions twice a week!

    3. Mountain Rose Herbs + Foster Farms discount codes

    4. How many hours is this course?

    5. How to use this platform

    6. How to use Closed-Captioning

    7. The "What's New" button on your dashboard

    8. How to use the Discussions feature

    9. Meet our Friends!

    10. Chatting in the Community Space

    11. Use of Course Material (Intellectual Property)

    12. Every Body is Different

    13. Where's Katja?

    14. Where's Katja? [audio]

    15. Course Outline

    1. Introduction to Phytochemistry

    2. Introduction to Phytochemistry [audio]

    3. Taxonomy

    4. Taxonomy [audio]

    5. Phytochemical Taxonomy [printable]

    6. Phytochemistry from the Plant's Perspective

    7. Phytochemistry from the Plant's Perspective [audio]

    8. Phytochemistry on the Macro Scale

    9. Phytochemistry on the Macro Scale [audio]

    10. Mineral Content of Selected Nutritive Herbs [printable]

    11. Journal Prompt: Soil Quality

    12. Resource: The Metabolic Plant Feedback Hypothesis

    13. Related Resources

    14. Philosophy of Phytochem Quiz

    1. Color and Chemistry

    2. Color and Chemistry [audio]

    3. Color & Phytochemistry [printable]

    4. Taste: An Overview

    5. Taste: An Overview [audio]

    6. Tastes: Salty

    7. Tastes: Salty [audio]

    8. Tastes: Sweet

    9. Tastes: Sweet [audio]

    10. Tastes: Demulcent / Mucilaginous

    11. Tastes: Demulcent/Mucilaginous [audio]

    12. Mucilage & Demulcency reference chart [printable]

    13. Tastes (and Smell!): Aromatics

    14. Tastes (and Smell!): Aromatics [audio]

    15. Journal Prompt: Aromatics

    16. Tastes: Pungent

    17. Tastes: Pungent [audio]

    18. Journal Prompt: Pungent

    19. Tastes: Diffusive

    20. Tastes: Diffusive [audio]

    21. Tastes: Bitters

    22. Tastes: Bitters [audio]

    23. Tastes: Sour

    24. Tastes: Sour [audio]

    25. Journal Prompt: Sour

    26. Tastes: Astringency

    27. Tastes: Astringency [audio]

    28. Action Prompt: Organoleptic Experimentation

    29. Tastes: Acrid

    30. Tastes: Acrid [audio]

    31. Experiments in Organoleptics

    32. Experiments in Organoleptics [audio]

    33. Organoleptics Quiz

    1. Characteristics of Constituents

    2. Characteristics of Constituents [audio]

    3. Molecular Weight

    4. Molecular Weight [audio]

    5. Resource: Tisserand on Frankincense Essential Oil

    6. Solubility

    7. Solubility [audio]

    8. Solubility Notes [printable]

    9. Journal Prompt: Solubility

    10. Compatibility

    11. Compatibility [audio]

    12. Variability

    13. Variability [audio]

    14. Resource: Ginseng and Gut Flora

    15. Synergy

    16. Synergy [audio]

    17. Common Misconceptions

    18. Common Misconceptions [audio]

    19. Desirable Details About Constituents

    20. Desirable Details About Constituents [audio]

    21. Desirable Details About Constituents [printable]

    22. Characteristics of Constituents Quiz

    1. Constituent Groups Introduction

    2. Constituent Groups Introduction [audio]

    3. Diagrams Ahoy!

    4. Carbohydrates

    5. Carbohydrates [audio]

    6. Carbohydrates Quiz

    7. Lipids

    8. Lipids [audio]

    9. Lipids Quiz

    10. Amino Acids & Derivatives

    11. Amino Acids & Derivatives [audio]

    12. Amino Acids & Derivatives Quiz

    13. Phenolics 1

    14. Phenolics 1 [audio]

    15. Plant Coumarins: Myths and Realities by Eric Yarnell & Kathy Abascal

    16. Phenolics 2

    17. Phenolics 2 [audio]

    18. Phenolics 3

    19. Phenolics 3 [audio]

    20. Phenolics Quiz

    21. Terpenes

    22. Terpenes [audio]

    23. Terpenes Quiz

    24. Alkaloids

    25. Alkaloids [audio]

    26. Alkaloids Quiz

    1. Salicylates

    2. Salicylates [audio]

    3. Salicylates Monograph [printable]

    4. Salicylates Quiz

About this course

  • $150.00
  • 114 lessons
  • 12 hours of video content

But wait, there's more! 🙂

In addition to the videos, we provide features to accommodate all the different ways people like to learn, so you can internalize the information easily!

  • Lifetime access - so you can review the content as many times as you like, forever!

  • Weekly live Q&A sessions with Katja and Ryn - to ask your questions directly, live and in person! (They're even archived, in case you miss one!) This course has 1 year live Q&A support

  • Ask questions anytime - we're always just a click away: you can ask any questions in the integrated discussion forum, and we're committed to personally answering your questions, usually within 24 hours

  • Printable PDF materials - if you like to follow the videos along on paper, or keep them handy for a quick reference

  • Downloadable MP3 files - so you can review the content while you commute, workout, garden, ... anytime!

Scholarships & Discounts

You can find complete information about our scholarships and discounts here.

Course Tuition

  • Tuition for this course is $150.
  • Your access never expires, and when we add new material to your course, you get it at no additional charge!
  • With our zero-risk return policy, you get 14 days to try it out after signing up. If at any point within those two weeks you decide it’s not right for you, just let us know and we’ll issue a refund, no questions asked.
Start now!

Your Teacher

Co-Founder Ryn Midura

Ryn has been a practicing herbalist since 2010. He came to herbalism by way of martial arts, where his first experiences with herbs were focused on getting back into the game and becoming more flexible, adaptable, and resilient. Passing that experience on to others is what keeps him motivated every day.

Students are saying...

5 star rating

A better understanding of plants

Alison Bateman

Basic Phytochemistry will help you understand plants on a deeper level. Learning what the constituents do for us in our bodies and what they do for the plant...

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Basic Phytochemistry will help you understand plants on a deeper level. Learning what the constituents do for us in our bodies and what they do for the plant made me appreciate the power of nature even more than I already did. After taking this course I feel more confident in choosing which plant to work with for different situations because I have a better understanding of the constituents and their effects. Ryn did a great job teaching this course in a way that makes it easy to understand.

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5 star rating

Basic Phytochemistry

OLGA Privina

Love this course. It taught me to understand how to extract the plant constituents I need and what those will do in my body.

Love this course. It taught me to understand how to extract the plant constituents I need and what those will do in my body.

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5 star rating

Gaining confidence with organoleptic practice

Barbara Patrizzi

This course is simply fascinating. No other way to put it. Herbalism really begins to make sense in a very palpable way now, as Ryn deftly explains the scie...

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This course is simply fascinating. No other way to put it. Herbalism really begins to make sense in a very palpable way now, as Ryn deftly explains the science by way of its direct relation to the sensory.

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5 star rating

To me it's a little more than basic

mandy copp

... it's totally fantastic!!

... it's totally fantastic!!

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5 star rating

Awesome, useful info!

Jennifer Sala

So glad you made this course, Ryn! I enjoyed nerding out on the minutia of plant chem and think a lot of the information will come in handy in the future and...

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So glad you made this course, Ryn! I enjoyed nerding out on the minutia of plant chem and think a lot of the information will come in handy in the future and helped make sense of things I've wondered about before. Thanks!

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Zero-Risk Return Policy

Teaching isn't just about conveying information - there's also an aspect of being someone's "cup of tea".

So we want you to take the first 14 days to really decide if you love it or not. If for any reason you feel like this program isn’t right for you - if we're just not your cup of tea - we’ll give you a full refund. You don't even need a reason - just please let us know within 14 days of purchase.

Find out how understanding basic phytochemistry can help you be a better herbalist!

Get started now